Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

The Rams lost by 17 points to a clearly superior team, the 8-2 Atlanta Falcons. Some initial postgame observations:

* Reality check. The Rams went up against an elite team and the gap in talent was obvious.

* With two consecutive losses, a 4-6 record and three straight road games looming (Denver, Arizona, New Orleans), the Rams' season is slipping away. At least in terms of having a shot at winning the hideous NFC West.

* The Rams' pass rush completely vanished. There was no heat at all. Falcons QB Matt Ryan had all the time he needed to pick apart the Rams' secondary.

* Props to the Atlanta coaching staff; Falcons were prepared to calmly handle any look or blitz that the Rams hit 'em with. It was no contest. A coaching mismatch.

* And M. Ryan didn't have to break a sweat. It was too easy for him. ATL had nearly 400 yards, several long drives and converted 9 of 17 third downs.

* A huge edge in time of possession to Atlanta; 35:55 to 24:05. A stomping.

* Rams CBs were schooled by ATL's receivers. It was ugly.

* The Rams running game: mostly a non-factor. Again. Steven Jackson had one 16-yard run but otherwise went 38 yards on 10 carries. The meager running attack is one of the unexpected weaknesses to the 2010 season.

* The Rams' defense: no takeaways for the second consecutive game.

* The Rams defense did not rebound from the late collapse at San Francisco, and now the wounds are gaping. And Denver, while flawed, can roll up lots of passing yards and points on Sunday if the Rams defense continues to slump.

* The Rams' coaches refusal to utilize Big Mike Hoomanawanui as a consistent piece in the passing game is baffling.

* The Rams had six first downs in the first quarter and only nine the rest of the way.

* Special teams were a huge negative for the Rams; bad field position was an important factor in the loss. Tom McMahon's group has been a big disappointment this season (kicker and punter excluded.) The Rams' kickoff returns are weak.

* Once again, Rams OC Pat Shurmur did a wonderful job of coming out with a creative plan on offense; and then the creativity slowly dried up. I do not understand why the Rams coaches have such a difficult time of staying on top of a game's flow.

* We like the no-huddle offense. So does Sam Bradford. I do not understand why the Rams don't use it more often.

* Would have been nice to see William Moore (Mizzou) pick off Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) in the Big 12 Championship game in 2007 or 2008.

BRYAN BURWELL:

By the end of the evening, the Rams were reminded rather clearly of the gap that still needs to be narrowed before they are ready to hang with the likes of the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons are a championship contender with so many complete parts. After Sunday's 35-17 victory over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome, the Falcons, leaders in the tough NFC South, have the NFC's best record at 8-2 and are on their way to a long playoff run.

The Rams, now 4-6 in the NFC West, have to settle for the painful truth that they still have a ways to go before they can find themselves in the same rarefied air. That's not an insult. That is a reality. The Rams have gotten so much better in a short time from last year's 1-15 disaster. But even with rookie Sam Bradford flinging the ball efficiently all over the field, there were far too many glaring examples of the shortcomings of a 4-6 team struggling to improve when facing an 8-2 team in the NFL's upper tier.

Bradford is not working with the same tools that Matt Ryan has with the Falcons. Roddy White is arguably the best receiver in the NFL, a fast, physical, athletic big man who can make plays under any circumstance. Add in Michael Jenkins, tight end Tony Gonzalez, tailback Michael Turner and a brutish offensive line and it doesn't compare with we're looking at in the Rams huddle.

Not enough power. Not enough deep threats. This is the first time all season the Rams can't argue that they were the equal of the team they faced.

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Thanks, Bernie ! We haven't had a good frothing rant from you in a while. All this talk of gaping wounds,etc, is so over-the-top that I feel better about this loss. The Rams D was kept from doing what they do by the extremely well-executed no-huddle hybrid O that The Falcons run. The commentator, Tim whatshisface, noted it. They've been doing it all over the NFL. Only NO is likely to be as good. The Whiners & Hags both lost,no? So the division is still tight. Lots of young guys on this team showed they could make plays against a team of this caliber. Just not enough.I agree that Shurmur & Croom need to get SJ & Sam some help either strategically or personnel-wise. I'm tired of beating the Darby drum but ....

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

All true from my viewpoint. St. Louis, while improved, has a long way to go. They have overachieved this season, and it's a shame they simply aren't real good yet, since this division is an absolute joke and is there for the taking- EVERYONE ELSE is terrible. The Rams still have glaring needs on both sides of the football, and progress will be limited until they're addressed in the off season.

Taking nothing away from their season long effort, the Rams have played a weak schedule, and yesterday was the end result of finally playing a real good football team. If the Rams played the Pittsburghs, New Englands and Philadelphias of the NFL, the results would be similar.

Bradford has had a wonderful season with absolutely no weapons at the receiver position and a surprisingly sub par running game in spots. The defense has done an admirable job all year, but seems to always be on the field due to the inability of the offense to sustain drives.

I think the coaches know what they currently have in this football team, and that is reflected in their offensive game plan. They must continue to grow in the areas of in-game adjustments and proper utilization of ALL personnel in the flow of the offense. Conversely, Spags cut his chops on the defensive side of the ball and not surprisingly, this year there have been more blitzes, more sacks and more turnovers.

The Rams were outplayed virtually everywhere yesterday, and it's a tribute to their heart that they were able to stay in the game for as long as they did. And with three road games in a row coming up, it will get harder before it gets easier.

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Originally Posted by eldfan

BERNIE MIKLASZ:

* With two consecutive losses, a 4-6 record and three straight road games looming (Denver, Arizona, New Orleans), the Rams' season is slipping away. At least in terms of having a shot at winning the hideous NFC West.

no no no... Bernie the blow hard strikes again.

EVERY NFC WEST team lost yesterday. So in terms of having a shot at winning the "hideous" nfc west, that is the only thing that DIDN'T change with the loss! nfc west remains remain unchanged and Rams play each team one more time. you could say their wildcard chances are slipping away (hmm, prob'ly already slipped away but haven't done the math)... that'd be accurate, but the division title is still the same distance away.

Last edited by KoaKoi; -11-22-2010 at 12:57 PM.
Reason: side note addition on 'slipping'

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Originally Posted by KoaKoi

no no no... Bernie the blow hard strikes again.

EVERY NFC WEST team lost yesterday. So in terms of having a shot at winning the "hideous" nfc west, that is the only thing that DIDN'T change with the loss! nfc west remains remain unchanged and Rams play each team one more time. you could say their wildcard chances are slipping away (hmm, prob'ly already slipped away but haven't done the math)... that'd be accurate, but the division title is still the same distance away.

The NFC West "race" is irrelevant/a joke. There's even a chance that the team that wins this division could have a 8-8 or worse season. While winning a division is a nice thing to do, it's almost embarrassing at this point. The NFL should probably give the NFC West spot in the playoffs to a more worthy division (probably NFC South). The lucky team that gets to face the NFC West winner is almost going to get a bye. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Originally Posted by Truth

The NFC West "race" is irrelevant/a joke. There's even a chance that the team that wins this division could have a 8-8 or worse season. While winning a division is a nice thing to do, it's almost embarrassing at this point. The NFL should probably give the NFC West spot in the playoffs to a more worthy division (probably NFC South). The lucky team that gets to face the NFC West winner is almost going to get a bye. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

Well, we can all blame the whiners for the collapse out west. They have the most talent, and appeared to be the team to beat at the outset of the season. But they've fallen apart, which is good for everybody else in the west, but makes us all look bad. Don't get me wrong, I love nothing more than seeing them struggle, but they were the only team in the west who was not supposed to be in transition this year.

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Originally Posted by Truth

The NFC West "race" is irrelevant/a joke. There's even a chance that the team that wins this division could have a 8-8 or worse season. While winning a division is a nice thing to do, it's almost embarrassing at this point. The NFL should probably give the NFC West spot in the playoffs to a more worthy division (probably NFC South). The lucky team that gets to face the NFC West winner is almost going to get a bye. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

well it may be disgraceful or a shame or (my favorite) a joke... but whoever wins the west gets a free spot in the playoffs so it is anything but irrelevant.

i just hate the over the top, flat out incorrect, world is ending type of statement that the Bern-ster is infamous for. by the way, neither he nor I called it a "race". And I don't care if it is shameful. If Rams win the division and take a playoff spot, i won't wince one bit. i'm a rams fan in enemy territory and i've cheered thru a lot of tough times... so i'll take a terrible looking playoff spot, over a 16 and done exit.

Re: Quick Hits: Bernie, Burwell on the Rams' loss

Originally Posted by Truth

The NFC West "race" is irrelevant/a joke. There's even a chance that the team that wins this division could have a 8-8 or worse season. While winning a division is a nice thing to do, it's almost embarrassing at this point. The NFL should probably give the NFC West spot in the playoffs to a more worthy division (probably NFC South). The lucky team that gets to face the NFC West winner is almost going to get a bye. Shameful, absolutely shameful.

Don't forget that the Cardinals had the same situation a few years ago when they got into the playoffs only because they won the west. They ended up losing the Superbowl in the final minute of the game. Never count a team out in the playoffs. I'm not saying that whoever wins the west has a great shot at going to the Superbowl, I'm just pointing out that nothing is for sure.